"Playing with Fire" daily diet very useful - active substances Hot peppers help produce hormones, fight depression and strengthen the immune system. But some varieties of pepper are so unbearable that it seems as if they are actually burning with fire! Hot top of the hottest peppers in the world.

1 place

Carolina Reaper - The brainchild of South Carolina. The lumpy surface and tail make it scary even in appearance, but tasting it is an even more dangerous task - the human mucous membrane is not adapted to such extreme doses of pungency. The degree of pungency is determined in chemical laboratories organoleptically, that is, by taste, but not of the pure product, but of the extract. Therefore, it makes sense to conduct experiments with this type of pepper only at your own peril and risk.

The record holder owns 2,200,000 units on the special Scoville scale. In comparison, Chile, aka Cayenne pepper has only 50,000 units on this scale, which evaluates pungency based on the amount of the “burning” alkaloid, capsaicin. It is its content in one quantity or another that makes pepper more or less spicy.

2nd place

– this is the name of the pepper, which back in 2012 was the Guinness record holder for the hottest pepper in the world. This name was given to the pepper because of its round shape and tail, like a scorpion. Pepper fruits are used to make tear gas and pepper spray. You need to use autojack workwear whose price matches the quality.

On the Scoville scale, the severity of Scorpio Trinidad ranges from 1.5 to 2 million units.

3rd place

Trinidad Scorpion Butch T . The predecessor of the first two types, which until 2011 was the first among the hottest peppers. He was raised through crossbreeding different varieties. Professional chefs Those who have had to deal with this type of pepper claim that the numbness of the fingers lasts for several more days, despite the fact that the dishes are prepared using gloves, a mask and a suit.

Sharpness: 1.46 million Scoville units.

4th place

- another pepper obtained artificially thanks to a breeder from Britain. It held the title of the hottest pepper for only two weeks, but don’t let that fool you – its heat will be enough to make even the most prepared person cry. In appearance, it has a lumpy surface and pleasant colors from orange to dark red.

Sharpness – 1.17 million units on the Scoville scale.

5th place

Spanish Naga . Despite the name, this type of pepper has nothing in common with Spain, except that its bright red color may be reminiscent of the Spanish bullfight. It was grown in the harsh conditions of UK breeding laboratories. Its pungency on the scale is 1.08 million units.

6th place

Chocolate Bhut Jolokia . Contrary to the rather “sweet” name, the reason for it is only the color of the pepper. India is considered to be its homeland, where it is popular in cooking variety of dishes curry.

Sharpness – 1 million units.

7th place

Red Caribbean Habanero . This type of pepper is native to the Amazon and is quite popular in Mexican cuisine. Its spiciness is almost twice that of a traditional habanero and amounts to 457 thousand units.

8th place

Tigerpaw NR . An artificially bred pepper variety originally from a US agricultural laboratory. Its origin does not allow it to be used as food, however, many extreme lovers use it for cooking to add to their list of tried-and-true insanities.

Sharpness – 331 thousand units.

9th place

Devil's tongue . This type of pepper really resembles a tongue in shape and has a pleasant yellow tint. Tasters claim that its fruits have a nutty flavor; believe it or not - it’s up to every gourmet. Hotness this pepper is 270 thousand units.

10th place

Madame Jeanette . Pepper from Suriname, which with its pleasant yellow and its smooth shape may mislead you, but you should not trust the first impression - it is a frequent guest in the cuisines of Suriname. And the traditions of this cuisine are incomparably hotter and sharper than ours.

Sharpness – 225 thousand units.

Here you will find a fresh list of the top 10 hottest peppers in the world as of 2019, as well as their photos with a detailed description and rating of hotness on the Scoville scale. On the site you will find out which variety now occupies an honorable first place and who has been included in the world ranking in recent years, as well as what will happen if you eat one of the hottest peppers in the world.

What is the Scoville Hotness Scale?

The Scoville scale is a measure of the heat of peppers, named after chemist Wilbur L. Scoville, who pioneered a way to measure the concentration of capsaicin.

Capsaicin is a chemical compound that gives plants burning taste, and also causes a sensation of burning, pain and heat in the receptors.

To measure the concentration of this substance, a solution of pepper extract is diluted in sugar water. Then five experienced tasters taste the solution, and it is gradually diluted further until at least three out of five test participants no longer feel the burning sensation. Depending on the amount of dilution, the product is assigned a value in heat units on the Scoville scale (ESH) or SHU – Scoville Heat Unit.

For example: red chili has between 500 and 750 SHU, jalapeno has 8,000 – 23,000, and the most powerful US military pepper spray is 2 million SHU.

This measurement method is very popular, but not entirely accurate because the sensitivity of the receptors in the mouth varies greatly among people.

To keep it simple, most companies use a number scale from 1 to 10 as an indicator of spiciness.

Top 10 hottest peppers in the world in 2019

There was a time when the mighty habanero was considered one of the hottest peppers on earth, with 500,000 Scoville units. He held the record from 1994 to 2006. Today its fame has paled in comparison to some of the super hybrids that have made their way onto the scene. Now, instead of hundreds of thousands on the scale of capsaicin concentrations, the count goes to millions of units.

Every year, hot pepper breeders develop new hybrids, looking for the right combination of soil and temperature to create a pepper that will compete for the title of hottest.

The best ones are recorded in the Guinness Book of Records; getting there is a great success, since sales of this variety will increase many times, bringing the owner of the burning winner multimillion-dollar income.

10. Bhut Jolokia

Bhut Jolokia – This hot pepper variety is native to northeast India and its name translates to “Ghost”. In addition to the heat, it has an amazing aroma of tropical fruits, which disappears quite quickly. It comes in a variety of colors, from yellow and red to orange and deep chocolate.

For a long time (until 2007) it ranked first in terms of severity with an indicator of 1,040,000 ECU. At one time, he blew up YouTube with videos featuring daredevils eating this pepper. People in India use Bhut Jolokia as a way to keep wild elephants at bay, including it in smoke bombs and even smearing it on their fences.

Its spiciness is not immediately felt, which allows you to taste the sauce or food in which it is located, and then all the heat appears. If you want to add Bhut Jolokia to a dish, use it sparingly - no more than a pinch or two for a large portion of gravy or stew.

Although this wrinkled, spiky pepper is no longer the hottest on the planet, it still has its charm and is still a hit.

9. Chili Infinity

Pepper Infinity (Chili Infinity) with 1,067,286 ECU replaced its predecessor in the Guinness Book of Records in February 2011, but it retained the title of the hottest for only 2 weeks. This variety was bred in England by Nick Woods and this is how he himself describes the taste of Infinity pepper:

“When I tried it, at first I felt an unusual fruity taste. The stinging effect lingered and then suddenly hit me. Suddenly I felt a burning sensation in my throat, it was so acute that I could not speak. I began to shake uncontrollably, I had to sit down, I felt physical pain. I would not recommend anyone to eat it raw!”

8. Pepper 7 Pot Brain Strain Red

7 Pot Brain Strain Red pepper is the hottest of all the red variations of the 7 Pot variety, it has about 1,350,000 ECU. The pods have a pronounced citrus aroma and a smoky-sweet taste. This variety is not a hybrid (which is created by crossing varieties), instead it was developed using selective propagation by saving pods from plants that had the desired characteristics.

7. Naga Viper

Naga Viper with a rating of 1,382,118 on the Scoville scale for some time held the proud title of “The World's Hottest Pepper,” which it was awarded in 2011. It was created in England by farmer Gerald Fowler of the Chilli Pepper Company. It is an unstable hybrid obtained from three very pungent varieties - Naga Morija, Bhuta Jolokia and Trinidad Scorpio and it cannot produce seeds with the same properties. To buy him for breeding, you will have to sign up for a long queue with Fowler.

6. Komodo Dragon Pepper

The Komodo Dragon was grown in the UK by the largest pepper grower, Salvatore Genovese. The pungency is rated at 1,400,000 Scoville units. In the summer of 2015, news spread around the world that in Europe the Komodo Dragon began to be sold in many Tesco supermarkets.

This is how pepper and spice purchasing expert Eleanor Munsell described the Komodo Dragon: “It creates a false sense of security: in the first seconds you will only feel a rich, warming aroma and taste, and then you will find that your mouth and esophagus are literally melting from its heat. This is a real little demon."

5. Trinidad Scorpion Butch T

Trinidad Scorpion Butch T surpassed the previous Guinness World Records holder in March 2011 with a pungency of 1,463,700. Native to the Trinidad and Tobago region of the Caribbean.

They taste, like most super-hot peppers, sweet with fruity notes that can be detected in the first few seconds before their fiery essence emerges.

If you are an extreme sports enthusiast and want to try raw piece Trinidad Scorpio Butch T, take extra care - he can cause serious burns.

4. 7 Pot Primo

7 Pot Primo - The orange-yellow fruits of this pepper have a fruity-floral flavor and an extreme heat of 1,473,480 units. Looks very lumpy and misshapen with a thin small tip. Translated into Russian, the name sounds like “7 pots,” which means that one small pepper can add spice to seven pots (pans) of soup.

3. 7 Pot Douglah

7 Pot Douglah – This chocolate brown fruit yielded 1,853,986 units. Its aroma is not only fruity-sweet, but also slightly nutty. The name, like the previous variety, says “7 pots”, and the word “dougla” in Trinidad, where this pepper comes from, refers to people of mixed race - African and Indian.

7 Pot Douglah has a dark brown or dark purple skin with a pimply surface. Because of its color, it is also called chocolate pepper.

2. Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Blend

The Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Blend variety broke the world record in 2012, with Scoville heat ranging from 1.2 to 2 million units. Because of the incredible pungency, scientists worked in gas masks, two pairs of latex gloves and protective suits while studying this pepper.

Despite the extreme pungency, it has a rather pleasant fruity aroma, and when added to food in very small quantities, it gives the dish a piquant taste.

Those who decide to try a piece of Trinidad Scorpion Moruga pepper will not feel its spiciness at first. However, after just a few minutes, the burning sensation will rapidly increase, it will seem that the tongue, throat and esophagus are on fire! The blood pressure will rise, the face will turn red, the eyes will begin to water, and nausea may occur.

However, not all fruits of this variety can achieve such pungency. More often than not, Trinidad Scorpion Moruga has just over 1.2 million Scoville units, depending on the conditions in which it was grown.

1. Carolina Reaper

Carolina Reaper or translated as “Carolina Reaper” - at the end of 2013, this pepper was recognized as the new reigning champion among super-hot peppers.

In 2019, the hottest pepper in the world is still the Carolina Ripper with its 1,569,300 – 2,200,000 Scoville heat units! To date, the Carolina Reaper pepper is the only one that has defeated itself, confirming the title of the hottest in the world in 2018.

It was bred by Puckerbutt Pepper, a company based in South Carolina. It is a hybrid of a red habanero and a Naja Viper pepper, another pepper that was once the hottest pepper in the world.

Its creator, Ed Curry, wanted it to improve the taste of food, which is why it is the sweetest and most flavorful of the super-hot peppers yet. Sauces made with Carolina Reaper are quite tasty, of course, if you are used to extremely spicy foods.

However, a warning: Eating Carolina Reaper raw is not recommended and handling it with bare hands may cause serious burns.

There are many desperate people who have recorded their experiences trying to find out what will happen if you eat the hottest pepper in the world, just watch the video on YouTube.

Eating the world's hottest pepper - video

Note

In 2017, there were a couple of peppers vying for the title of “the hottest pepper in the world”: Devil’s Breath and Pepper X. Their heat was reported to be 2.48 and 3.18 million ECU respectively.

However, there are no official studies confirming that any pepper has knocked the Carolina Reaper off its pedestal. Until they are carried out official tests from the Guinness Book of Records, everything remains the same.

Warning

What will it be like to eat a Carolina Ripper or another of the hottest peppers on this list, will it lead to a visit to the hospital or send you to the grave?

People's reactions to large amounts of capsaicin vary from person to person - while some may find it quite tasty, others will find the heat unbearable.

Here's what happens to your body when you taste hot peppers:

1. As soon as you take a bite, you'll feel hot almost immediately without any real change in temperature.
2. A signal is sent to the brain that you are too close to a heat source. Fluid begins to flow from the nose and eyes, along with heavy salivation.
3. Then you start to sweat. This is the body's way of getting rid of excess liquid, because the brain thinks you are in extreme heat.

note: Never drink hot peppers with water or alcohol, this will only spread the heat. This, unfortunately, is what most people do and this is their mistake. The only thing that works is casein protein, which is found in milk. You can also eat the pepper with bread or boiled rice.

Eating some of the hottest peppers will result in at least burns (blisters) in your mouth, but here are some other side effects:

• The digestive system is compromised and you may get an upset stomach even if you are used to spicy foods.
• People with diseases gastrointestinal tract Pepper is contraindicated, as its intense heat may aggravate symptoms.
• In some people, large amounts of capsaicin can cause high blood pressure and heart attacks.
• You will also have to visit the hospital if you accidentally touch your eyes after touching one of the hottest peppers.

The world's hottest hot pepper eating competition

Every year, popular eating competitions are held around the world, where participants have to go through several rounds of speed-eating increasingly hotter peppers.

They usually start off easy enough, with simple hot peppers like jalapenos that almost anyone can eat without serious side effects.

But the competition gets tougher with each round, and you'll soon find yourself eating flaming Bhut Jolokia and Naga Viper with Scoville scores averaging over 1 million.

And when you somehow make it to the final round, the remaining contestants will have to taste the Carolina Reaper in the final round - the hottest pepper in the world, with an average heat rating of 1,569,300.

If you love spicy food and believe you can handle the heat in a serious competition, challenge yourself and enter! Just keep a glass of milk at the ready.

The culture of growing the hottest pepper in the world is almost as ancient and no less complex than growing grapes to produce wine. There are many varieties - different forms, tastes and, of course, degree of spiciness. Some of them are so hot that dishes containing them have to be prepared using special protective equipment.

It's amazing how anyone in their right mind and sense could want to feel such a fire within themselves. However, there are fans, and there are many of them. At the most spicy varieties their own fan clubs have long been formed, harvests are covered in the relevant press, and people accustom their taste buds to the feeling of extra heat in order to enter selected circles.

We all know that hot peppers really burn the tongue, but how much? This question is answered by a special hotness scale (no other unit of measurement in the world has been so hot). It ranks peppers from “spicy” to “Oh no! I'm about to catch fire! And so does the furniture I’m sitting on!”

Scoville Scale 2019

It was invented by Wilbur Scoville, who, surprisingly, worked not as a cook, but as a framer.

• He came up with a very simple way to measure the heat of peppers, based on a person's ability to perceive heat.
• The units of measurement are parts of sugar water that must be added to the same part of chili pepper so that the taster does not feel any heat in the mouth at all.
• For example, one part of crushed Poblano pepper will require approximately 1,500 parts of water so that a person will not notice its presence in the solution at all.

But science does not stand still: scientists have come up with a high-tech analogue of the original Scoville technique. They use liquid chromatography to measure the amount of capsaicin in chili peppers, which is responsible for the hot taste.

However, despite everything chemical tests in the world, the heat of pepper remains a subjective concept. Degree of responsiveness taste buds The taste in everyone’s mouth is different, and if one can absorb kilograms of fire-breathing peppers, then another feels pain in the stomach from just the sight of a red pod. Plus, like grapes, the taste of peppers varies depending on the country where they are grown, the composition of the soil, the number of sunny days per year and many other nuances. The pungency of neighboring pods on a bush can vary significantly!

Top 10 hottest peppers in the world

Scoville Heat Unit (SHU): 1.382 million
Comparison with jalapeno(medium chili pepper): 553 times hotter.
Country of origin: England.

What do you get when you cross three varieties of the hottest peppers? Naga Viper! The pedigree of this plant with character is impressive - its parents were Moruga Scorpion, Naga Morich, and "ghost pepper" - a variety of chili pepper that grows on the border of India and Bangladesh and is different high content capsaicin and, accordingly, a fiery taste.

Naga Viper's sharpness is slow; this means that the person who puts it in his mouth will first feel fruity sweetness shells before the fiery mouth of hell opens. About 7 years ago, in 2011, Naga Viper was considered the hottest pepper in the world and was even listed in the Guinness Book of Records, until a year later it was defeated by its own parent (by the way, occupying an honorable sixth place in this ranking).

SHU: 1.5 million
Comparison with jalapeno: 600 times sharper.
Country of origin: India.

Indians know a lot about spices - like the “ghost pepper”, Naga Morich comes from the southern regions of India. In general, Naga Morich tastes very much like its “wild” brother - like it, the fiery nature of the modern variety reveals itself slowly.

It will take about 30 seconds for a person to taste the flame. Before this, the taster feels only pleasant fruity notes. That’s why this pepper is so good in sauces and marinades for barbecue – at first pleasant, soft and juicy, and then demonically hot. Surprisingly, Indians and Bengalis love to eat whole Naga Morich peppers like a salad. True, they risk doing this only with green fruits that have not yet reached their true pungency.

SHU: 1.598 million
Comparison with jalapeno: 639 times sharper.
Country of origin: England.

There is some debate among pepper connoisseurs as to whether Naga Morich and Dorset Naga are the same variety. Technically yes, but Dorset Naga definitely represents the next evolutionary step for the variety. This variety was created in England by breeders who, over many years, carefully selected seeds from only the hottest Naga Morich plants. However, Dorset Naga has become so popular around the world that now no one pays attention to its suspicious affinity with Naga Morich.

The spiciness of Dorset Naga develops even more slowly than its older brother, and the delicate fruity notes are more pronounced. Therefore, it performs even better in marinades and sauces.

SHU: 1,854.
Comparison with jalapeno: 742 times hotter.
Country of origin: Trinidad.

Without a doubt, this plant is one of the ten hottest pepper varieties, but its appearance and taste are different from others. The skin of this pepper is chocolate color instead of the usual fire red, and the taste is not only fruity, but even a little nutty. Therefore, 7 Pot Douglah is a unique phenomenon in its own way, both appearance, and to taste. And in terms of sharpness too.

Peppers above 1.8 ppm on the heat scale should be handled with care. Just one drop of juice is enough to cause a serious burn to the skin, so you should wear gloves and even kitchen goggles when cooking with extra hot varieties. It’s scary to imagine what will happen if the juice gets on the cornea of ​​the eye! To add spiciness to food, a very tiny amount is enough - no wonder the name of this variety is 7 Pots, which means “seven pots”. That is, one such pepper can ignite the contents of at least seven pans.

SHU: 2 million
Comparison with jalapeno: 800 times sharper.
Country of origin: Trinidad.

Calling Trinidad Moruga Scorpion "spicy" is like saying the surface of the sun is "hot." This is, of course, true, but does not reflect the full scale of the phenomenon. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is a pepper so hot that people are forced to handle it like a nuclear warhead - gently, carefully and in protective gear. It is so pungent that it is surpassed by only five varieties worldwide, one of which is its own variety.

The heat from this pepper not only comes on slowly, it lasts a long time! At first, everything looks quite innocent, but after half a minute fire spreads through a person’s veins, he sweats, hiccups, sneezes, his eyes begin to water... It is clear that most people never consume it in its raw form. Therefore, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is placed in very hot sauces and seasonings so that its spiciness is at least slightly diluted by more neutral ingredients.

SHU: 2 million
Comparison with jalapeno: 800 times sharper.
Country of origin: Trinidad.

Although both numbers six and five look the same on the heat scale, they taste noticeably different. The “chocolate” version is softer, juicier, riper, less acidic, with smoky notes and a hint of earthy sweetness.

But don't let this sweetness fool you - Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate has claws, and the claws are sharp, which dig deep into the stomach and are felt for a very long time. They are even sharper than those of the “big brother” - the minimum values ​​on the Scoville scale are higher for the “chocolate” variety.

SHU: 2 million
Comparison with jalapeno: 800 times sharper.
Country of origin: USA.

Although Chocolate Bhutlan's maximum value is the same as that of the two Trinidad Scorpion species, its "bottom" limit is higher. It is one of the “fast” peppers, the demonic nature of which you feel immediately, like a blow with a hoof. Chocolate Bhutlan is a hybrid of two very hot peppers, Bhut Jolokia, the “ghost pepper” and the seventh ranked pepper, 7 Pot Douglah. Hence the name – Bhut-lah. The taste of this pepper, like other “chocolate” varieties, is sweetish, earthy, and the smell is floral.

SHU: 1.4 – 2.2 million
Comparison with jalapeno: 880 times sharper.
Country of origin: England.

Without a doubt, only true fans can eat this pepper. Like the “ghost pepper,” it opens slowly, first allowing you to fully experience its sweetish fruity tones.

Unlike other super spicy varieties, only available to true fans who order them by mail and buy them at specialized stores, Komodo Dragon Pepper can be bought in any English supermarket. Yes, yes, it’s just sitting there on the shelf, a pepper that rivals the famous Carolina Reaper in its heat.

It is impossible to eat this pepper without diluting it with something (and more). Like its distant cousin, Seven Pots, one Komodo Dragon pepper is enough to add heat to a variety of dishes.

SHU: 2.2 million
Comparison with jalapeno: 880 times sharper.
Country of origin: USA.

When the Trinidad Moruga Scoprion wrested the laurels of the world's hottest pepper from its brainchild in 2012, did its creators know that the end was near? Its substitute, the Carolina Reaper, was already maturing in secret laboratories in the United States, and was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 2013. The creator of this pet dragon is Ed Curry, owner of the Puckerbutt Pepper Company, located, naturally, in South Carolina. Carolina Reaper is the fruit of love between the red habanero subspecies and the Naga Viper pepper, tenth in the ranking. As Ed himself said, he just wanted to create Bell pepper, which would be a little sharper. Well, he succeeded.

It’s interesting that Ed started growing peppers for health purposes, since there were cases of cancer in his family, and healing properties hot peppers caught his attention. Hobby turned into passion, and passion turned into a way to earn a living.

SHU: 2.480 million
Comparison with jalapeno: 992 times sharper.
Country of origin: England.

In the war between the USA and England for the right to be called the homeland of the hottest pepper in the world, it seems that England is winning. One of the last hot varieties bred in foggy Albion bears the telling name “Dragon’s Breath”. It received its name in honor of the national coat of arms of Wales, which depicts this mythical beast. Compared to the Reaper, the peak power of Breath is 280 units higher, which is equal to a whopping 12 jalapeno peppers!

Obviously, such thermonuclear pepper is not intended for mass consumption. On the contrary, it was created with the goal of replacing painkillers for those who are allergic to conventional medical anesthetics.

However, the question of which pepper is the hottest is still not resolved. The US is not going to give up. Recently, information was received from the Karolinska Laboratory that the creator of the Reaper is not going to rest on his laurels. The new pepper in his collection, so far called Pepper X, or “Pepper X,” breaks all records - they say that its power is equal to 3.18 million Scoville units!

Hot pepper eating competition

For some people even medium spicy chili peppers can turn a stew into a cauldron of lava. But for others, only a large amount of pepper can add flavor to the food. However, there is a third category - those who look for hot peppers and eat them in competitions. For such people there is even a special term, “pyrogourmaniac”, where pepper is responsible for “pyro”, “gourmet” - for taste sensations, but “maniac” adequately reflects their mental characteristics.

These people of questionable common sense willingly subject themselves to torture with extra-hot red peppers that challenge both their willpower and their stomach lining. Attention! Even if you jalapeno pepper If you find it hot in pizza, you should watch this video with a glass of milk.

However, fun can turn into trouble, as a participant in one of these competitions recently experienced. After eating especially hot variety"Reaper of the Carolinas", he felt a strong headache. Hot pepper caused a constriction of blood vessels in the brain, taking revenge on its eater.

Pepper is in the kitchen of every housewife, most owners and even many students. He makes the simplest dish brighter and more interesting, adding spice and aroma. But most often the choice is limited to red, black and allspice. Chili has also recently appeared, but it still remains exotic.

But in fact, there are many varieties of peppers in the world, many of which can be used as fuel for nuclear reactors - they are so hot. However, many peoples can no longer imagine their diet without these fiery spices. Many extreme gourmets also love them. They are the ones who spend a lot of time trying to find the hottest pepper in the world. And enthusiastic gardeners are happy to offer them more and more new varieties.

Since 2012, this pepper variety has been considered the hottest. And this is not only someone’s subjective opinion, but also a fact supported by quantitative measurements. The Scoville scale, which measures the heat of a product, puts it on par with pepper spray. In conventional units, its pungency is 1.2-2 million.

It looks quite harmless, but it is better not to touch it with bare hands

The conditions in which it grew play a significant role in the degree of hotness of pepper. The drier and hotter it was, the more thermonuclear the fruit is. Having bitten off even a small piece, in the first moments you will not feel anything, but soon your mouth will begin to burn. If you try to wash it off with water, it will only get worse - the fire will move to the esophagus and stomach. Only something fatty, for example, ice cream, can save you.

At the same time, this pepper has a very delicate and pleasant fruity aroma, although it is not easy to distinguish it behind its spiciness. If you put just a little bit into a dish, the food will become more vibrant and rich taste, but will not cause hellish heartburn.

This variety held the palm until 2012. It got its name - the Trinidad scorpion - because of its shape. The pepper is quite round, but has a characteristic tail, similar to a scorpion. The nature of this plant is also quite poisonous - 0.8-1.4 million units on the Scoville scale.

The characteristic tail gives this pepper its name

It is worth noting that it is used quite rarely in cooking. There are not many extreme sports enthusiasts who like to feel like the Serpent Gorynych. But this plant is used in other industries. For example, military tear gases are made from it. Its essence is also added to special paints used to coat ships. After this treatment, the mollusks do not settle on the bottom - they are repelled by the burning taste.

Interestingly, when specialists and scientists work with this pepper, they have to wear a chemical protective suit. Otherwise, you may get burns to the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth, respiratory tract and eyes. They say that even latex gloves cannot save you from the burning sensation; you have to wear two of them.

The name of this plant is translated as “spirit pepper.” It’s difficult to say why he deserved it, but one thing is clear: if you eat too large a piece, you can really lose your spirit. Burn of mucous membrane, tears, increase blood pressure, sudden sweating is the minimum that threatens you.

This pepper is not only hot, but also very productive.

They say that the pungency of this pepper can be felt even if one gram is crushed and diluted in 1000 liters of water. Therefore, chefs, even the most daring ones, use it in very small doses. Nevertheless, this variety has been popular for decades. Its pungency is very high - 0.9-1 million units.

This variety of pepper is also called Capsicum Chinese, which is incorrect both in essence and in meaning. It is grown in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, where most of it is eaten. Outside these countries, there are few people who can eat this small orange pepper without harming their health. But it is actively used in production traditional sauce Tabasco. Sometimes it is also added to tequila, giving it a sharper and bright taste.

A bright and beautiful pepper that makes you want to eat it

There is a legend that the Aztecs had a tradition: captives were given a choice: a sacrifice to the gods or half a liter of Habanero pepper tincture. Few people chose the second one. Not surprising, because this pepper is ten times hotter than even the famous Cayeran pepper. Its pungency can reach 500,000 units on the scale, although most often it is somewhat lower.

Scottish bonnet

This pepper has an atypical appearance - while most chilies are thin and elongated, this one is, on the contrary, round and flattened. It is believed that its shape is similar to the Scottish beret, which is why it received such a funny name. But this is the only funny thing about this plant. It is hotter than most chilies - 100,000-350,000 units.

But, unlike most of the varieties listed above, this one is actively used in cooking, and gourmets claim that it reveals its taste best if eaten with chocolate and fruit.

Now you know what the hottest pepper is and what it is eaten with. It can be with meat, it can be with vegetables or fish, it can be with alcoholic drinks or even sweets. The main thing is to do this very carefully and extremely carefully.

Spicy is one of the main qualities of any product, on the basis of which consumers make a choice in favor of a particular product. But not all ordinary people think about how this quality is determined, what it depends on and what it influences. In fact, the comparison different types peppers has already grown into an entire industry with its own assessment systems, experiments and even festivals. Pepper breeders regularly conduct tests to determine which pepper is the hottest and rate it accordingly. Next, we will get acquainted with the history of such research and find out which peppers are considered the hottest and what is special about them.

Scoville method and its predecessors

It is believed that the first hotness ratings for peppers date back to ancient times. A few centuries ago in Latin America, the pungency of different types of the then popular Capsicum was assessed. Over time, the range of peppers began to increase, and the need arose for a single scale of heat, so a “table of ranks” with six degrees of spiciness was invented.

But Wilbur Scoville, a pharmacist and chemist from the USA, was the first to study the pungency of peppers scientifically. He proposed measuring the concentration level of capsaicin, a substance that gives the plant a specific pungent taste, and causing a burning sensation and a feeling of heat in humans. The research proceeded according to the following scenario:

1. An alcohol solution was prepared and diluted in sweet water.
2. They gave the drink to five tasters to try.
3. Increased the quantity sweet water until three tasters note that the drink no longer causes a burning sensation.
4. Next, we calculated how much sweet water was needed to neutralize the pungency, and assigned the product the corresponding value on the pungency scale. These units were named ECU in honor of the American chemist.

Advice. The designations on the heat scale are deciphered as follows: for example, pepper has 1000 units. This means that to neutralize 1 part of its extract you will need 1000 parts of sugar water.

Nowadays, the Scoville method has lost its relevance; now the capsaicin content is easily and quickly determined by chemical analysis. But the pungency units and the scale still bear the name of the chemist, as the first scientist who decided to study this issue.

The meaning of ratings

In world rankings fiery peppers There are constant rotations. This is explained simply: as soon as the method of evaluating plants was discovered, farmer-breeders immediately began to compete with each other, trying to develop new types of hot peppers or improve the properties of already famous varieties. They were driven by the desire to attract the attention of large manufacturers hot sauces. The higher the rating of a fire plant became, the more likely it was to become economically profitable for the farmer.

Attention! TOPs of hot peppers are official and are confirmed by inspecting specialists from the Guinness Book of Records who are present at crop tests.

Very for a long time The classic Habanero variety was considered the most spicy, with a rating of 350,000 ECU. He is base ingredient world famous Tabasco sauce. But the sharply increased popularity of Mexican and Chinese cuisine made some adjustments, the need arose for even hotter pepper. And then Red Savina entered the arena with an indicator of 450,000 units. He topped the ranking for 12 years, from 1994 to 2006.

Further more: the palm went to the Trinidadian Scorpio, which crossed the 1,000,000 ECU mark. And after 5 years, in 2011, it was surpassed by the Indian variety Bhut Jolokia with an estimate of 1,001,130 ECU.

The race did not stop; the first places began to be occupied by crops with pungency indices of more than 1,500,000 and even 2,000,000 units. And now the rating looks like this.

Ten of the most fiery

Let's get acquainted with the most extreme varieties of peppers:

• Bhut Jolokia – 1,001,130 ECU. Indian culture with a distinct tropical aroma.

Bhut Jolokia

• Chocolate Bhut Jolokia – 1,001,304 ECU. More sweet option a classic plant that is actively used in curry dishes.
• 7 Pot Chile (red) – from 1,001,350 ECU. A variety common in the Caribbean with a smoky-sweet flavor.
• Gibralta – 1,086,844 ECU. Large red pepper grown in Spain, artificially bred in the laboratories of Great Britain.
• Infinity Chile – 1,176,182 ECU. A hybrid stinging plant native to England.
• Naga Viper – 1,382,118 ECU. Obtained by crossing three cultures: Jolokia, Naga Moriha and Scorpio. The properties of pepper are unstable, so even in the same harvest there may be specimens with different levels of pungency.

Naga Viper

• Scorpio Butch T (Trinidad) – 1,463,700 ESH. A hot pepper developed by crossing several extremely fiery varieties of Trinidadian crops.
• 7 Pot Primo – 1,853,396 ESH. Chocolatey earthy fruit with nutty notes.
• Moruga Scorpio (Trinidad) – 2,009,231 ECU. Most hot pepper, which grows in the wild.
• Carolina Reaper – 2,200,000 ESH. The overall champion is from South Carolina, who has held the record since 2013.

Now you know that hotness is not just a familiar property of pepper, but also one of the most important criteria for its classification. For several decades now, there has been a whole system for assessing the spiciness of a product, which makes it possible to determine with maximum accuracy which variety is the most fiery. The current rating is in front of you, but there is no doubt that even such amazing levels of sharpness are not the limit.

What dishes do you use hot peppers in?